NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
Medicine Hat Tigers captain Oasiz Wiesblatt celebrates his first of two goals Saturday night in a 8-4 win at Co-op Place over the Moose Jaw Warriors.
The Medicine Hat Tigers got a much-needed win Saturday night at Co-op Place.
The Tigers snapped a three-game losing streak with an 8-4 win over the Moose Jaw Warriors. Medicine Hat entered the game off a 4-2 loss Friday at home to the Edmonton Oil Kings.
They entered the game missing six full-time players, limited to 10 forwards and six defenceman. Forward Andrew Basha missed all of the third period of Friday’s game, head coach Willie Desjardins had no firm update but he said the Calgary Flames prospect will have to get checked out and is considered day to day.
Medicine Hat fell behind early Saturday, with Moose Jaw scoring on an almost pop-fly 8:15 into the game off the stick of Lyndan Lakovic. They made it 2-0 1:46 later with a rush-goal from Rilen Kovacevic. Desjardins liked how his group responded, not falling down early with a short bench.
“It was huge, we could’ve collapsed, just because of the game last night, and it was a tough game last night,” Desjardins said. “I do believe, and I’ve said it before, we have good goalies and we have good defence right now. We’re just banged up front, but, saying that, tonight was a great effort. Carter Cunningham played well, Brayden Ryan-MacKay was great to see him score, he’s played really hard for us both games so it was awesome for him.
“I just thought for the whole group, they played hard.”
Ryan-Mackay scored the eventual game winner, finding twine with 1:34 left in the second period for his first goal in the Western Hockey League.
“It was unreal, the puck just landed on my stick and just all the boys were so ecstatic for me,” Ryan-MacKay said.
The Tigers rebounded in the first period with a pair of goals. Marcus Pacheco finished off a passing play from Mat Ward who kept the puck alive in the Moose Jaw end to make it a 2-1 game at 15:20. Shaeffer Gordon-Carroll had the second assist on Pacheco’s second on the year.
They tied the game up on a power play with 3:07 left in the first, Gavin McKenna fired a puck on net after a series of moves through the offensive end and Hunter St. Martin tipped home his first of three on the night. Oasiz Wiesblatt had the second assist. That helper was McKenna’s 100th career WHL assist.
Moose Jaw regained a lead 9:39 into the second with Kovacevic’s second of the night, scoring on a rush. Medicine Hat scored five unanswered to grab a 7-3 lead halfway through the third.
Bryce Pickford scored at the 12:57 mark of the second period, Carter Cunningham and Kadon McCann had the assists on his seventh of the season. He’s tied for first in defenceman goals with Red Deer Rebels blue liner Hunter Mayo.
Wiesblatt scored his first of the night at 14:31, with McKenna picking up his second assist. The assist being McKenna’s 150th WHL point.
Ryan-MacKay’s goal, assisted by Jack Kachkowski and Niilopekka Muhonen ended the second period with the Tigers ahead 5-3.
St. Martin opened the scoring 1:58 into the third, scoring his second of the night with a top-shelf snipe on a shorthanded rush. Jonas Woo and Pickford had the assists.
He completed the hat trick a little under eight minutes later, finishing off a tic-tac-toe play from Wiesblatt and McKenna, making it a 7-3 lead while only two hats hit the ice to celebrate his second hat trick and 17th goal of the season. St. Martin laughed off the lack of hats flying and commended the crowd of 3,912 in attendance.
“The fans were great tonight, it was loud in there, they brought a lot of energy,” St. Martin said. “But you just can’t help but laugh there.”
Moose Jaw showed life a little over halfway through the third with Lakovic scoring his second of the night to make it a 7-4 game at 13:50. That was the last goal allowed by Tigers’ starter Jordan Switzer, who picked up his fourth win with 20 saves.
The Tigers closed the with a goal from Wiesblatt at 15:09, his second of the night and ninth of the season. McKenna and Muhonen had the assists.
Medicine Hat entered the contest with a focus on discipline, taking seven penalties in back-to-back games, only heading to the box twice Saturday and successful on both penalty kills. They finished one for four on the power play. They also won the face off battle, 42-30 and outshot the Warriors 43-24. Across the ice from Switzer, Dimitri Fortin made 35 saves in the Moose Jaw net.
The Tigers (10-9) are off until Wednesday when they head to Edmonton for a rematch with the Oil Kings. They’ll expect reinforcements with Markus and Liam Ruck returning victorious from the U17 Hockey Challenge.
The twins from Osooyos, B.C. won gold with Team Canada White on Saturday, beating Team Canada Red 3-1. Markus finished his tournament with two goals and two assists, Liam had four helpers, assisting on both of his older twin brothers goals.
